Wegmans eatery may stand alone

Thursday

The Monroe Avenue grocery store wants to move Tastings to the nearby former Rite Aid location.

PITTSFORD — Pending an approval from the town’s Architectural Board, Wegmans will move its upscale restaurant, Tastings, across the street to the former Rite Aid store.

“Our plan was to originally expand Tastings restaurant at its current location,” said Wegmans spokeswoman Jo Natale. “We were on track to do that, then this property became available.”

Reusing 11,000 square feet of existing space is a good plan, said Pittsford Supervisor Bill Carpenter. “I think at one point Wegmans had talked about another building for a restaurant over in Wegmans Plaza,” said Carpenter. “I think this makes more sense ... reuse of a building that’s sitting there.”

Natale said the grocery chain is in the early stages of planning the move and has no timetable for completion. The town Planning Board has OK’d the plan.

There is no date yet for Wegmans appearance in front of the Archetectural Board.

When the move is complete, the current Tastings space will be converted into retail space, Natale said.

“It’s going to give us the space we need and the fact that it’s across the street will give us the ability for Tastings to stand out as a separate entity — yet it’s still near to the store,” said Natale.